Xylose is a natural sugar that is found (in polymeric form) in some woody materials such as straw, birch trees, pecan shells, cottonseed hulls, and corncobs. Xylose tastes sweet, and can inhibit the absorption of other sugars in the body. On the glycemic index, which measures the rate of the absorption of sugar by the body, sugar is a 100 while xylose is only a 7. Moreover, xylose does not contribute to tooth decay. Xylose is safe for use in foods and has additional desirable properties including beneficial antibacterial and antifungal activity. However, xylose can be expensive to produce, making it more difficult to incorporate into products such as food and beverage products. Artificial sweeteners and genetically modified foods can destroy the body's flora and can encourage the wrong type of bacterial overgrowth, resulting in incorrect physiological responses in the human body, such as in your GI tract, which can lead to glucose intolerance (Nature 514, 191-186, October 2014).